Tag: popularity

The world's most popular animals are in more danger than we realise, according to a new study.A survey of the public's perceptions suggests many people are unaware that the animals they consider "charismatic" are under threat in the wild. These include lions, elephants, tigers and other animals which frequently appear in branding and advertising.Researchers suspect the animals' media ubiquity may lead people to think they are prospering in the wild.The findings were published by an international team of scientists in PLOS Biology.Charismatic speciesThe notion of "charismatic" species has cropped up recently in conservation biology, explains Dr Franck Courchamp, the study's lead author."There is a regular claim that the most charismatic species are diverting most of the time and resources [...

Although high school students may think popularity is of the utmost importance, a new study found that it may not lead to long-term happiness. What mattered more, according to the study published in the journal Child Development, is whether the teens had close friendships they maintained over time. "Youth with higher levels of attachment to their best friends appear to have better psychological health, psychosocial adjustment, and even a more adaptive stress response during adolescence," the study authors said. "In general, adolescents with high-quality close friendships report higher rates of overall happiness than those without." The study looked a group of students from the same school over time, to study the correlation between adolescent friendships and long-term mental health. Re...